aragornwriter writes: This is taken from a Belgian newspaper: Howard Shore prefers Belgian Radio Orchestra for score “The Aviator”
After eight executive days of hard work, the Flemish Radio Orchestra has finished taping the score for “The Aviator”, the new movie of the renowned director Martin Scorsese with Leonardo diCaprio. The music is from multiple Oscar winner Howard Shore, who also composed the music for “The Lord of the Rings”. Shore personally directed the recordings that took place in Leuven, Belgium.
“The two hour lasting tape with recordings has been sent to Scorsese who was thrilled. Every night there was a video conference with the director to discuss what was happening. Then changes were executed at his request. From the many details he had in mind and the way he worked with them, we discovered and recognized him for his great talent,” said Flemish Radio Orchestra responsible Gunther Broucke.
The taping took place in Leuven, Belgium in a hall where rehearsals for the VRO (Vlaams Radio Orkest) usually take place. Especially for this movie, technical people of the London Abbey Road Studios have built in some new high technology equipment to get optimal quality for the recordings.
The Flemish Radio Orchestra earned this honor thanks to composer Howard Shore. He worked together with the orchestra in April of this year, when they performed the music of “The Lord of the Rings” in the Antwerp Sportpaleis. The concert was a huge hit. Shore said in several interviews afterwards that he was thrilled with the quality of the orchestra.
Lúthien Rising gives us more on the Lord of the Rings Symphony in Toronto and Kitchener, Ontario:
The event will feature the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir. It now appears on the KW Philharmonic’s website — including that Howard Shore will be conducting! The rest of the performing groups aren’t listed yet.
The concerts are scheduled for Saturday, June 4, 7:30 p.m., at Kitchener’s Centre in the Square (a hall widely regarded for its excellent acoustics, and for Sunday, June 5, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall (a hall that’s better than it used to be at least – http://www.roythomson.com/home.cfm). Neither event has been announced by the halls themselves.
‘The Lord of the Rings'(TM) Star Billy Boyd to Host Starz Free Preview Weekend on DIRECTV September 17-19
Sweepstakes Awards Grand Prize Winner an RCA Home Entertainment System, DIRECTV Customers Receive a $15.00 Visa(R) Gift Card with STARZ! Subscription
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Starz Encore Group LLC (Starz) and DIRECTV, Inc. are offering an exclusive free movie weekend to all DIRECTV customers from 9:00 p.m. ET on September 17 to midnight ET September 19. Actor Billy Boyd, who starred as Pippin in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, will be hosting the event. Starz is the exclusive pay television home of all three “The Lord of the Rings” movies.
Additionally, one grand-prize winner will receive an RCA Home Entertainment System that includes a 61″ DLP HDTV with integrated tuner, a 600-watt surround sound Home Theatre Package with DVD player and a 40GB digital video recorder. DIRECTV customers who sign up for STARZ! during the free preview weekend will receive a $15 Visa gift card, powered by Ecount(TM), and good at millions of Visa locations worldwide with proof of the first month’s billing statement.
The free preview will consist of 12 channels of the Starz Super Pak. The free preview weekend presents DIRECTV customers with Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters on the Starz Super Pak including Julia Roberts in “Mona Lisa Smile,” Johnny Depp in “The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” Ang Lee’s “Hulk” and “Cold Creek Manor.”
In honor of host Billy Boyd, who was filmed in his hometo wn in Scotland for the free preview event, STARZ! will be airing “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” on Saturday, September 18. The 2004 Academy Award(R) winner for Best Picture, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” will premiere on STARZ! in November.
“The Starz Super Pak offers our customers quality movie choice and convenience,” said Neal Tiles, executive vice president, marketing for DIRECTV. “Starz consistently delivers first-rate programming, and we are happy to give our customers this opportunity to enjoy their hit movies with the added incentive of a $15 Visa gift card and the chance to win the RCA HD Home Theater.”
DIRECTV customers who sign up for STARZ! during the free preview will be awarded a $15 Visa gift card and the opportunity to win an RCA Entertainment System grand prize (service and installation not included).
“The free weekend preview is consistent with our ultimate goal of adding value to DIRECTV households,” added Bill Giorgio, senior vice president, affiliate sales with Starz. “Starz provides an unparalleled library of movies, and each channel delivers something new and unique to movie lovers.” Starz provides a steady supply of blockbuster titles including “Lost In Translation,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Mona Lisa Smile,” “Spy Kids 3: Game Over,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “Hulk,” “Chicago,” “Anger Management,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Finding Nemo” and “Freaky Friday.” Coming to STARZ! later in 2004: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Miracle.” Hollywood studios supplying films to Starz include Disney, Universal, Sony, MGM, Paramount, New Line, Revolution Studios and Miramax.
About DIRECTV, Inc.
DIRECTV is the nation’s leading digital mu ltichannel television service provider with more than 13 million customers. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc., a unit of The DIRECTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV). The DIRECTV Group is a world-leading provider of digital multichannel television entertainment and broadband satellite networks and services. The DIRECTV Group is 34 percent owned by Fox Entertainment Group, which is approximately 82 percent owned by News Corporation Ltd. For more information visit www.directv.com.
About Starz
Starz is the largest provider of premium movie services in the United States with approximately 164 million pay units. Starz offerings include the Starz Super Pak(R), with up to 13 digital movie channels and more than 750 movies per month, Starz On Demand(R), the only on-demand pay TV subscription service available on the cable and satellite platforms, and its broadband equivalent, STARZ! Ticket(SM). Starz also offers a suite of advanced video offerings, including STARZ! HD(SM), Encore HD(SM), and Starz On Demand HD(SM). Starz is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation (NYSE: L, LMCb), www.starz.com.
Imagine if you, a fan, had been allowed to wander about the filmset – all the filmsets – as “The Lord of the Rings” was being filmed. For several years, you were able to watch people working on any task related to the films, ask them any questions about what they were doing, even to linger in doorways and listen to Peter Jackson or Richard Taylor plan what kind of movies they intended to make and discuss the best way to achieve that.
Well, none of us is ever going to have that opportunity. But Costa Botes did, and he distilled the best of his five years of observation (That’s 21 hours of footage) into three 90-minute documentaries.
These are a fly-on-the-wall view of what it was like to make those movies. They give a sense of the grinding, endless, enormous work that it was for everyone, and how it must have seemed at times like a terrifying, insurmountable task. At the same time, they capture the incredible spirit that drove people forward with a mixture of joy, courage and determination. Like the Fellowship themselves, the people making the film slogged forward with a kind of blind faith that even though they couldn’t see the overall plan or imagine how it fitted in to the whole, somehow if they gave of their best, the effort would be rewarded with success. Or maybe just that if they gave their all, that in itself would be its own reward. How incredibly rare that is in film making!
At the centre of the maelstrom is Peter Jackson, often captured on the fly as he directs the cast, makes a decision or explains something to the crew. The documentary shows him more often working with crew, cast, and management than talking directly to the camera, and so you get a sense of how much everything depends on him. You also realise how tightly-knit and interdependent are his crew.
A little has already been written about the scene where Peter Jackson Loses His Temper. The extraordinary thing about it is that he is so restrained, so reasonable, that if it were anyone else you’d probably only say he was a little tetchy. Some people can get angrier than that six times before breakfast, and have a whole door-slamming, crockery-smashing fit while under far less pressure. Costa Botes’ documentary shows you both why Peter Jackson doesn’t do that, and why he doesn’t need to.
Having said that, nothing in this documentary is explicit. It doesn’t announce its conclusions or channel your thoughts with mood-setting music. It moves quietly into different spaces and allows people to talk about what they do. You’ll meet or observe the language coaches, the armourers, the stuntmen,the actors, the horse-wranglers, the costume department, the special effects technicians, the artists, and the extras. There is charming footage of the hobbits’ small-scale doubles, who are characters in their own right. Unforgettable moments such as Viggo Mortensen in full Aragorn kit troutfishing at Mavora Lakes between takes. There is an astonishingly frank exchange between PJ and Barrie Osborne about the films’ escalating budget (in relation to the CGI required for Gollum). The ball is left in Barrie’s court to either allow PJ to make the films how PJ wants, or end up with “Lost in Space production values.” The documentary can’t follow up what happens next, but it’s obvious from the finished films that Barrie succeeded in championing Peter’s cause.
The documentary shows how some things are done – some of the visual and aural tricks that are used. If that takes away some of the magic of the films, it replaces it with a sense of delight and wonder at the startling, clever, and sometimes funny solutions the crews come up with. It’s an eye-opener to see how claustrobphobic the Bag End sets are when they’re in use – it’s incredible that the actors could appear to be moving so freely inside a set that was crammed with other people operating lights, cameras, microphones, wind machines and whatnot.
The documentary flips between people that are happy in their work, and the moments when people are overwhelmed by it. There’s the recurring nightmare of the missing radio transmitters which the film units absolutely need, and the person responsible for locating them absolutely can’t get in time. It’s a potential disaster and people are at the point of tears over what was probably only the latest of a hundred problems. Ngila Dickson is interviewed at a point where the costume people are being driven insane by the logistics of multiple locations, schedule changes, and the endless copies and doubles of every single costume item. She looks exhausted.
There was footage of the appalling flooding in Queenstown that washed away sets and screwed up the outdoors film schedule. There was the day when it started to snow on location, and the cast and crew gamely tried to keep going until it was impossible. There were the team of chainmail makers, slowly going mad as they clipped together chainmail rings all day every day for 2 years. Through it all people seemed to find a sense of humour to keep them going no matter what.
For contrast there were the hobbit boys improvising a capella jazz scat on Weathertop, or laughing and carrying on their jokes between takes. We see Gandalf riding into Hobbiton one of umpteen times – this time his hat blows off; riding in again on that cart, only this time he’s giving Frodo a quick lesson in Sindarin. “The Lonely Mountain…..so that’s the singular?” asks Frodo. There are a few such tantalising scenes that never made it into the finshed films.
The wonderful thing about about this documentary is that clearly people trusted Costa Botes and became so used to him that they almost forgot he was there – he and his crew seemed to be part of the furniture of the set, able to candidly observe åwhat went on around them. The result is that you see people laughing, swearing, and working through disasters and triumphs. The whole thing leaves you in awe at the achievement of every last one of them.
There is talk that the documentaries will be included in a special edition of LOTR in 2006, but given the vagaries of Hollywood it’s not certain that they’d appear as we saw them here in NZ these past few weeks.
We can only hope that the diehard LOTR fan community will have many more opportunities to see these documentaries on the big screen, exactly as they are. They were not made to be a promotional tool; they are a testament to a unique work which needs to be recorded for posterity. So far they have only been shown at the Film Festival here in New Zealand, and they deserve a far wider audience which will appreciate and honour the determination which drove the film makers to achieve what seemed impossible.
Celebriel writes: Saturday began with a DragonCon favorite, the annual parade from Woodruff Park back to the hotels. Ringers were very well represented, with a large and well organized contingent. Star Wars Storm Troopers led off the parade, a DragonCon tradition, and other popular contingents included Pirates of the Carribbean, Star Trek, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Anne McCaffrey’s Pern. The streets were lined with DragonCon attendees and locals, still and video cameras in hand, cheering the parade participants.
Appropriately enough, the first session after the parade was Magic Unraveled: Discovering The Wonder of Costuming in Middle Earth. This workshop featured a panel of five LOTR experts sharing inside information on creating the perfect costume. A few tips:
Jules Kelly of the popular costuming website Alley Cat Scratch showed how to make an Elvish cloak. “Swirlability is everything about cloaks,” she explained, adding that the half-circle Elvish cloak was designed to reveal the costume underneath. Tips: Be sure to place the clasp low enough so the weight of the cloak doesn’t strangle you, and try adding fishing weights to the hood to achieve the right look.
Suzanne Daley, a big Legolas fan, explained how working in suede and leather is different from working in fabric. She advises using a three-sided leather needle that pierces the leather, and selecting the needle size based on the thickness of the leather. Try to avoid re-sewing leather as it weakens the material. Tips: Use long (basting) stitches in sewing and patch holes in leather with contact cement or rubber cement.
Laura Bradway talked about children’s costumes. She stressed that children cannot endure the discomfort of too many layers of costumes, so simple is better. To get the maximum life out of children’s costumes, use stretch fabric, elastic waists, and big hems that can be let down.
Jessica Duncan reviewed various types of elf ears, from simple and convenient ones applied with spirit gum and blended in with foundation makeup to hand molded gelatin ears made from individual ear casts (the type used in the films). While gelatin ears look great, they melt from body heat and lights. And while making the ear molds is the hardest part, a good set of molds will last indefinitely.
WeeTanya has already summarized Anne Petty’s wonderful talk on Tolkien’s dragons and how he created unique characters out of these rich symbols rooted in myth. Later in the afternoon, TORn staffers including Balin presented The Road Goes Ever On, featuring a detailed look (SPOILERS!) at the extended edition of Return of the King, due out in time for the Christmas market. (Exact date not yet confirmed by New Line Cinema.) Every additional sequence planned for the four hour and ten minute film, most confirmed and some speculated, was reviewed, including its place in the film and how it deepened our understanding of character and action. Without revealing too much here, as a general comment it can be stressed that the extended edition presents a film that moves ever closer to the book.
Mindy Singer spoke on the in’s and out’s of developing your own unique costume using books or movie characters to inspire you. One of the things she suggested to profile and observe the common themes of the race you are portraying and work that into your own costume.
Quimbie Olmstead who headed up the panel. Beyond keeping things running smoothly, she offered attendees a list of sites to get them started on the path to making their own costumes. She also gave them ideas on do’s and don’ts for in costume behavior.
New images from the programing track and of outstanding Ringer costumes!
Sunday kicks off with a session on LOTR weaponry followed by Anne Petty on Tolkien’s Finnish Connection. Stay tuned!
“Welcome to Sakuracon!” Tolkien scholar Anne Petty joked at the beginning of today’s panel on Tolkien’s Dragons. “I say that because I feel like I’ve been abducted by the anime track. Anime dragons and Tolkien’s dragons are a lot alike, of course. And I am a fan of both anime and Tolkien…”
In his latest Green Books column, Turgon introduced Anne Petty thus:
Anne C. Petty received her Ph.D. in English Literature from Florida State University. Her dissertation was published as One Ring to Bind Them All: Tolkien’s Mythology (1979; reprinted with a new introduction and expanded bibliography 2002, $18.95 trade paperback, ISBN 0817312056). Another book, Tolkien in the Land of Heroes: Discovering the Human Spirit ($16.95 trade paperback, ISBN 1892975998), came out in August 2003. And just published is a book that includes a chapter on Tolkien, Dragons of Fantasy ($14.94 trade paperback, ISBN 1593600100). Check out her website at www.annepetty.com [Here]
This meant that Anne was eminently well suited to deliver her 1 PM panel.
In the packed room, Anne comfortably shuffling papers like a born professor. “I looked over my notes while flying here,” she said, “and I realized that this would be a two-hour lecture instead of one!”
Anne began the panel by relating the story about how she got up the nerve to study Tolkien, who was at the time considered a pulp fantasy writer. But then Anne met Joseph Campbell.
“I spoke to Joseph Campbell about my interest in Tolkien, and he inspired me to develop the theme of ‘Tolkien as mythmaker’,” she said. “Today many scholars of Tolkien are interested in studying his sources, but not me. I am interested in studying the themes that make his work universal.”
About dragons, Anne had many things to say.
“Dragons are powerful images,” she said. “They symbolize evil, a barrier. Their colors represent greed and passion… they have been part of rites of passage, and in medieval literature they were part of the test to attain kingship.” Tolkien’s dragons, Anne said, were inspired by such diverse sources as Beowulf, the Eddas, Greek mythos, medieval legends of Chretien de Troyes, E. Nesbit, The Red Fairy Book, and even Kenneth Graham’s The Reluctant Dragon.
Anne told us that her book involved a careful examination of Tolkien’s five dragons (the five being Smaug, Scatha the Worm, Glaurung, Ancalagon the Black and Chrysophylax) according to certain questions:
When do you first encounter the dragon in the book? How does it happen? What do other people say about the dragon? Rumors, sightings, etc. What is the dragon’s physical description? What are their attributes? How do they speak? Formally or informally? In English or some other language? What is the dragon’s point of view like? Does the dragon behave as a friend or foe? Is the dragon written somewhat humorously?
Tolkien decided that because dragons were magical, everyone could understand their speech. “They even speak in normal dialog instead of italics,” Anne said. “Tolkien had a sharp ear for dialect. Glaurong spoke in a ‘high saga’ dialect… while Smaug was informal… and Chrysophylax was both sly and groveling.”
“Tolkien was wonderful at delaying the entrance of these foes,” Anne said. “Before we see Glaurung, we hear a vast amount of folklore related to him.” Smaug is also long-anticipated. “We hear the dwarves’ songs of Smaug, Gandalf’s story of the map, Thorin’s history…”
Anne said that she considered Smaug one of Tolkien’s most memorable characters. Patterned after the Norse dragon Fafnir, Smaug is both dangerous and humorous. “He’s a snarky worm,” Anne said. “Bilbo and Smaug’s interaction is almost like a game. It’s as though each of them scores points in the conversation. Bilbo gets carried away by his own riddles and reveals that he isn’t alone, so Smaug sort of scores a point. But then Bilbo’s clever flattery reveals Smaug’s weakness.”
Tolkien’s language related to Smaug is especially vivid. “Tolkien described Smaug with phrases like ‘pot galloping on a fire’ and ‘old volcano’ – which immediately brings up images of heat and flame…”
And as for the death of Smaug, “it’s one of the greatest action sequences Tolkien ever wrote!” said Anne.
The panel ended in record time (it seemed), but for those that missed the panel (or for those interested in exploring Anne’s points further), Dragons of Fantasy is available via Amazon.com.
